Bournemouth School vs Parkstone Grammar School
Both are grammar schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 5.6 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.
Side by side
| Bournemouth School | Parkstone Grammar School | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary |
| Gender | Boys | Girls |
| Pupils on roll | 1,284 | 1,248 |
| Free school meals | 6.6% | 6.7% |
| Ofsted rating | Outstanding | Not judged |
| Attainment 8 — 2024/25 | 74.2 | 68.5 |
| A-level average points — 2024/25 | 40.24 | 41.78 |
| 11+ test board | GL Assessment | GL Assessment |
| Admission system | pass/fail then criteria order | pass/fail then criteria order |
| Places offered — 202627 | 179 | 192 |
| First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place | 1.33 | 1.11 |
Qualifying scores
Bournemouth School
No fixed published pass mark. The four-school BCP consortium test (maths, English, verbal reasoning) is age-standardised, and each school determines eligibility and applies its own oversubscription criteria (with local priority elements). No cutoff score is pre-announced.
Parkstone Grammar School
No fixed published pass mark. The four-school BCP consortium test (maths, English, verbal reasoning) is age-standardised, and each school determines eligibility and applies its own oversubscription criteria (with local priority elements). No cutoff score is pre-announced.
Who gets priority
Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.
Bournemouth School
- Looked After/Previously Looked After Children (all given equal priority)
- Boys eligible for Pupil Premium, ranked by entrance test score
- A fixed quota of places assigned to the highest-scoring boys overall, regardless of catchment
- Remaining boys living in the designated catchment area (BH1-BH12/BH23 postcodes) not eligible for Pupil Premium, ranked
Source: school admissions policy.
Parkstone Grammar School
- Looked After/Previously Looked After Children (eligible = met the academic standard)
- Girls in the historic Borough of Poole (or BH12/13/14/15/16/17/18/21 postcodes) eligible for Pupil Premium
- Girls in the historic Borough of Poole / listed postcodes (not Pupil Premium)
- Girls outside the Poole area eligible for Pupil Premium
Source: school admissions policy.
Choosing between them
Bournemouth School is a boys school and Parkstone Grammar School is a girls school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.
Other Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole comparisons
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